Department for Transport

Bus Services: Kirklees

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the provision of bus services serving Kirklees.

Grant Shapps: The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision are primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. However, the Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services and increase passenger numbers. Of the £30 million of additional funding announced to improve current services and restoring lost services, West Yorkshire Combined Authority has been allocated £1,086,414 which will be available from April 2020 if the funding requirements are met.This is from the £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package to transform bus services. The Government’s ambition is to secure a long term, sustained improvement in bus services underpinned by a National Bus Strategy for England which will be accompanied by a long-term funding settlement. Announced last week there will be £5billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for every region outside London which may benefit bus services serving Kirklees.

Traffic Lights

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of traffic lights at four-way junctions where only one light is green at any time on (a) capacity and (b) flow at those junctions.

Grant Shapps: The management of traffic light junctions, including operational strategies and timings, is a matter for local traffic authorities. As such, the Department does not carry out such assessments. The Department has always advocated the use of traffic responsive systems, and junction designs that optimise operation to reduce unnecessary delays and maximise junction capacity as far as possible. The Department has recently updated its guidance on the design of traffic light junctions, in Chapter 6 of the Traffic Signs Manual. This makes clear that the most efficient way to operate a junction is to adopt sequences and techniques that allow one or more arms to run at the same time, to keep traffic moving safely. Chapter 6 is available to download from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual

Roads: Capital Investment

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeframe is for the next funding round for improvements to strategic local roads.

Grant Shapps: The most important local roads have been assigned Major Road Network status and are eligible for a new programme of funding. Scheme proposals for the first five years of Major Road Network and Large Local Majors funding were submitted in summer 2019. A second announcement of a further six schemes for development funding, in the North and South West, was made on 11 February by the Prime Minister.The timing of further announcements for funding scheme development and construction will be phased depending on how individual schemes progress.

Bus Services: Passengers

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the average number of passengers on a public service bus route.

Grant Shapps: The average bus occupancy on local bus services was 12.5 in England in 2018/19, an increase from 12.2 in 2017/18 and 11.7 in 2009/10.

Pedestrian Crossings

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of guidelines for the provision of pedestrian crossings.

Grant Shapps: Provision of pedestrian crossings is a matter for local traffic authorities. In December 2019 the Department published updated guidance on pedestrian crossing assessment and design, in Chapter 6 of the Traffic Signs Manual. It is available to download fromhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual.

Private Roads

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what schemes are available to help communities which have a high number of unadopted roads, due to the closure of large industry, get adopted status for those roads.

Grant Shapps: The respective owners of private roads are responsible under legislation for ensuring that these roads are brought up to the required standard before local highway authorities can ‘adopt’ them and then maintain them at public expense. In cases where there are large areas of unadopted roads due to the closure of large industries, these may be improved by new developers as part of their development projects or the local authority can bid for Government funds through various programmes like the Local Growth Fund.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate provision of high-kilowatt charging infrastructure for the rapid charging of electric cars.

Grant Shapps: In collaboration with industry the Government will invest £1 billion in charging infrastructure – making sure that everyone is within 30 miles of a rapid charging station for electric vehicles. The first £70 million of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will create 3,000 new rapid chargepoints, more than doubling the number of rapid chargepoints across the UK by 2024. Highways England has commitment of £15m to ensure there are chargepoints (rapid where possible) every 20 miles on 95% of the Strategic Road Network by 2020. We will set out a vision by Spring 2020 for a core infrastructure network of rapid and high powered chargepoints along England’s strategic road network.

Electric Vehicles

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that electric cars have a range equivalent to petrol cars by 2035.

Grant Shapps: Improving the range of electric vehicles is primarily a matter for vehicle manufacturers, and this is something that is continuously being improved. Government will continue to support industry in doing this, we have committed £274m from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to the Faraday Battery Challenge to advance electric vehicle battery technology. This funding is supporting battery R&D from the Faraday Institution’s academic research, through Innovate UK’s programme of collaborative applied R&D, to scale-up in the cutting-edge UK Battery Industrialisation Centre. The aims of the Faraday Battery Challenge include improving the energy density of batteries, improving our understanding of temperature effects on range, and reducing battery costs which will make longer range electric vehicles more affordable.

Electric Vehicles

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the level of (a) accessibility to and (b) affordability of maintenance processes for electric vehicles.

Grant Shapps: In the Road to Zero strategy, the UK Government committed to working with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) to ensure the UK’s workforce of mechanics are well trained and have the skills they need to repair electric vehicles safely. Last year the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) endorsed IMI’s TechSafe professional standards and register for electric vehicle technicians. People will be able to use the register to check the electric vehicle competencies of technicians at their garage, supporting consumer confidence in this growing market. OLEV has also endorsed the National Franchised Dealers Association’s Electric Vehicle Approved scheme to recognise expertise and promote industry standards in electric vehicle retail and aftersales. Today, owners of electric vehicles can have substantially lower fuel and maintenance costs compared to those with conventional vehicles. 100% electric vehicles are designed to be as efficient as possible and there are generally three main components powering the vehicle: the on board charger, inverter and motor. This means there is less wear and tear on the vehicle and little stress on the motor, with fewer moving parts sustainable to damage. This means electric vehicles have reduced servicing requirements and the running and repair costs are minimal.

Electric Vehicles

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to increase the affordability of electric cars.

Grant Shapps: We are currently investing nearly £1.5bn‎ between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in cars, vans, lorries, buses, taxis and motorcycles to reduce the up-front purchase price of electric vehicles, as well schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets. Purchasers of electric vehicles also benefit from lower Vehicle Excise Duty and company car tax rates from April. As part of our consultation on bringing forward the end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans, we are asking what the accompanying package of support will need to be to enable the transition and minimise the impacts on businesses and consumers across the UK, building on the significant demand and supply side measures already in place.

Electric Vehicles: Batteries

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the safe large-scale disposable of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

Grant Shapps: Electric vehicle battery recycling is covered by the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, which ban the disposal of automotive and industrial batteries to landfill and incineration. This also establishes take-back and recycling obligations for industrial battery producers. The UK’s £274 million Faraday Battery Challenge is playing a leading role in promoting the reuse and recycling of battery components. This includes several industry led collaborative R&D projects and the Faraday Institution’s £10m ‘ReLib’ research project. ReLib is developing the technological, economic and legal infrastructure to allow high percentages of the materials in lithium ion batteries at the end of their first life to be reused or recycled. The Faraday Institution also participate in the Global Battery Alliance – a World Economic Forum initiative which aims to accelerate action towards a socially responsible, environmentally sustainable and innovative battery supply chain.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate provision of charging infrastructure for electric cars in towns and villages by 2035.

Grant Shapps: We are currently investing nearly £1.5bn‎ between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in vehicles, as well schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets. Government and industry have supported the installation of over 17,000 devices providing over 24,000 publicly available chargepoints. This includes over 2,400 rapid chargepoints – one of the largest networks in Europe. Our grant schemes and our £400m public-private Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will see thousands more electric vehicle chargepoints installed across the UK. The first £70 million of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will create 3,000 new rapid chargepoints, more than doubling the number of rapid chargepoints across the UK by 2024. Along with the private sector, the Government will invest £1 billion in charging infrastructure – making sure that everyone is within 30 miles of a rapid charging station. On 21 January, we announced that Government has doubled the value of the On-street Residential Charging Scheme for 2020-2021 to £10 million to support the provision of up to 3,600 chargepoints for those that don’t have off-street parking.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Heathrow Airport Ltd’s Initial Business Plan, published in December 2019, committing funding to new rail links to that airport, if the Government will confirm (a) funding from the public purse to and (b) approve the Western Rail Link to Heathrow Airport.

Grant Shapps: It is helpful that Heathrow Airport has been clear in its Initial Business Plan that it sees the Western Rail Link being delivered in all scenarios. Government has always been clear that its support for the development of the scheme is subject to the successful agreement of terms with the Heathrow Aviation industry.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timescales are for the progress of rail access projects to Heathrow Airport.

Grant Shapps: Network Rail is finalising work on the Western Rail Link to Heathrow (WRLtH) Development Consent Order and will be prepared to submit to the Planning Inspectorate following the agreement of terms between the Government and the Heathrow Aviation industry on an appropriate financial contribution to the project. Network Rail has been advised to expect to submit the application for Development Consent no later than summer 2020, which will mark the next major milestone for the project. On Southern Access to Heathrow (SAtH), my Department has been working to develop an appropriate ‘market involved’ commercial model. Following Ministerial approval and alignment to the upcoming HM Treasury Infrastructure Finance Review, the Department intends to provide further guidance regarding the commercial approach later this year.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to deliver the Western Rail Link to Heathrow Airport.

Grant Shapps: My officials are working closely with Heathrow Airport Limited and the Civil Aviation Authority to reach agreement on acceptable terms, which are essential to the delivery of the scheme. Subject to a successful conclusion of these negotiations, Network Rail will submit the scheme’s application for development consent to the Planning Inspectorate.

Railways: North West

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to establish new rail links (a) in Liverpool West Derby constituency and (b) the North West.

Grant Shapps: To help communities across the country, we have pledged £500m to start reopening lines closed following the Beeching report, reconnecting smaller towns, regenerating local economies and improving accessibility to jobs, homes and education. I encourage MPs, to work with local authorities and community groups in their constituency to come forward with proposals to reinstate axed local services and stations. This funding will help develop these proposals, and accelerate the delivery of schemes that are already being considered for restoration.

Bus Lanes: Ambulance Services

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward a nationwide exemption to permit ambulances to use bus lanes.

Grant Shapps: The Department has made no such assessment. Ambulances on emergency business are already generally allowed to use bus lanes through an exemption in the underlying Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) which creates a bus lane. Local authorities can extend this to ambulances on non-emergency business if they wish, but will need to consider whether the vehicles are easily identifiable for enforcement purposes, and the impact on the operation of the lane for buses. Local authorities are best placed to judge how best to operate bus lanes on their road networks. Bus lanes are provided to give buses priority over other traffic, particularly at congested times of day, and to provide bus passengers with a more reliable service. Allowing more vehicle types to use a bus lane may start to erode this priority.

Attorney General

Sexual Offences: Prosecutions

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on ensuring more effective prosecutions of cases involving rape and other sexual offences.

Michael Ellis: I regularly engage with the Director of Public Prosecutions on all criminal justice issues, including rape. Rape and sexual offences are devastating crimes that can have a significant and profound impact on victims. All cases are dealt with by specially trained CPS Rape and Serious Sexual Offences lawyers, and the CPS is committed to bringing perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice. The CPS has accepted all recommendations made in the HMCPSI Rape Report, published in December 2019, and a joint action plan with the police is already underway. This work aims to improve performance in key areas including case progression, digital capability and disclosure, and supporting victims. The ongoing cross-Government review into this complex area will offer comprehensive findings across the whole criminal justice system, and I look forward to its completion

Department of Health and Social Care

Blood: Contamination

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s policy is on short-term financial support for people affected by the contaminated blood scandal before the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Since 1988, successive Governments have voluntarily provided ex-gratia financial and non-financial support for people affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through historic treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2017, country specific support schemes were set up in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, responsibility for these is devolved to the four nations. We are working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments to improve parity of support across the United Kingdom.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to implement maximum waiting times for adult inpatient mental health care; and what progress he has made on the maximum waiting time pilots.

Ms Nadine Dorries: NHS England has committed in the interim report of the Clinically-Led Review of Access Standards to testing a range of new access standards for mental health, including for crisis services in the community and liaison psychiatry services, four week waiting times for children and young people who need specialist community mental health services and four week waiting times for adults and older adults to access community mental health teams. Testing of these new access standards are underway in pilot areas. An update on the testing of the new mental health access standards will be set out in the final report of the Clinically-Led Review of Access Standards to be published later this year. Once recommendations are made, following field-testing of the proposals within the National Health Service, the Government has committed to studying them carefully.

Eating Disorders: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children aged 17 and under accessed community mental health treatment for eating disorders in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018 and (e) 2019.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The data is not available in the format requested.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Mental Illness

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2020 to Question 13559 and with reference to the Answer of 23 October 2018 to Question 181292 on Mental Illness: Children and Young People, for what reasons his Department was able to provide the data requested to Question 181292 but not to Question 13559.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Data is held by number of attendances rather than the number of patients. Attendances do not represent the number of patients, as a person may attend a National Health Service hospital on more than one occasion within the period.

*No heading*

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve early intervention and treatment in cases of eating disorder among young people.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We know the difference that early intervention can make and recognise that the earlier treatment is provided, the greater the chance of recovery. It is vital that everyone with an eating disorder can access quick, specialist help when necessary.The Government set up the first waiting times to improve access to eating disorder services for children and young people. The standard we are working towards is that by 2020/21, 95% of children with an eating disorder will receive treatment within one week for urgent cases and within four weeks for routine cases. Data from January to March 2019 shows 80.6% of all patients started urgent treatment within one week and 82.4% of patients started routine treatment within four weeks.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Offshore Funds

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether his Department’s (a) anti-fraud and (b) anti-money laundering procedures review (i) payments by his Department to offshore accounts and (ii) the use of offshore accounts by his Department's (A) suppliers and (B) senior staff.

James Duddridge: There are robust anti-fraud and anti-money laundering measures in place for all DFID expenditure. The following controls are in place:(A) For suppliers, relevant corporate assurance assessments and due diligence checks are completed by programme teams before new suppliers are added to the system, and the Treasury and Banking team are required to select the destination country for bank templates. In addition, the team check that the final destination account does not differ from that in the payment request.(B) All our staff are governed by DFID’s Standards of Behaviour and Conduct including the Civil Service Code for staff and the seven Principles of Public life for office holders. As part of this, both staff and office holders are required to declare any conflicts of interest including private investments.

Department for International Development: Offshore Funds

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much money his Department paid into offshore bank accounts in financial year 2018-19.

James Duddridge: The information requested is not easily accessible and the cost to extract would be disproportionate.

Department for International Development: Offshore Funds

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether (a) members of his Departmental Board and (b) senior executives in his Department are required to disclose their offshore bank accounts and holdings.

James Duddridge: All DFID staff are governed by the Civil Service Code and core values, the 7 Principles of Public life, and DFID’s staff code of practice. These require that both staff and office holders declare any conflicts of interest, including those involving private or personal business and financial concerns.

Private Infrastructure Development Group: Fossil Fuels

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when his Department last made an assessment of the environmental effect of fossil fuel projects financed by his Department through the Private Infrastructure Development Group.

James Duddridge: The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) prioritises investments in renewables wherever possible. PIDG does not have any active fossil fuel extraction projects, and PIDG’s strategy rules out any investments in coal.PIDG conducts an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment on all projects before approving any investment. Each investment must comply with PIDG’s Environment, Social, Health and Safety standards, which are based on the internationally recognised International Finance Corporation Environment and Social Performance Standards. This includes minimum requirements in areas such as use of natural resources, biodiversity, labour standards and land resettlement.

Private Infrastructure Development Group: Fossil Fuels

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what environmental impact assessments his Department has made in relation to fossil fuel extraction projects financed by the Private Infrastructure Development Group.

James Duddridge: The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) does not have any active fossil fuel extraction projects, and PIDG’s strategy rules out any investing in coal. In 2004, PIDG did provide one-off funding of $500,000 (£273,000) for technical assistance to the Government of Mozambique on the feasibility of establishing a coal mine in the town of Moatize in Mozambique. However, no follow-on funding was provided to support this project. PIDG is also not able to invest in the exploration, extraction or refining of oil, natural gas or liquid petroleum gas.PIDG conducts an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment on all projects before approving any investment. Each investment must comply with PIDG’s Environment, Social, Health and Safety standards, which are based on the internationally recognised International Finance Corporation Environment and Social Performance Standards. DFID monitors compliance with these policies as part of its ongoing role as a PIDG Owner.

Developing Countries: Fossil Fuels

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of trends in the level of fossil fuel usage in developing countries on levels of poverty in those countries.

James Duddridge: Energy is essential for development and poverty reduction, and there are many assessments that show that poor countries will need to increase investments in energy in the coming years to increase economic growth and improve the lives of poor people. Two recent examples of such assessments include the 2019 Sustainable Development Goal 7 Energy Progress Report, and Sustainable Energy for All’s ‘Energising Finance: Understanding the Landscape 2018’.The science is clear that the world must reduce its emissions if we are to avoid dangerous climate change, which risks undermining development gains and pushing more people into poverty. This will need to be a collective global effort, from all countries, and the UK is leading by example, setting a target to reach net zero by 2050.The UK is providing support to developing countries to think about their choices and how to best to secure the energy they need.

Department for Education

Social Services

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to review the care system.

Nick Gibb: We are committed to undertaking a review at the earliest opportunity.The review aims to better support, protect and improve the outcomes of vulnerable children and young people. This was confirmed in a written statement made on 12 February 2020, which is available at the following link: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statements/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2Clords&uin=HCWS110.

Apprentices: Degrees

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to promote degree apprenticeships as a route to an undergraduate degree.

Nick Gibb: Degree and degree-level apprenticeships at level 6 and above offer people of all ages and from all backgrounds the chance to earn while they train and access a range of professions. Apprenticeship starts at level 6 and above have increased from 100 in 2014/15 to 22,480 in 2018/19. 120 employer-designed standards are now approved for delivery at levels 6 and 7, in a wide range of occupations. We are continuing to raise the profile of these apprenticeships as high-quality alternatives to academic study. To support employers to raise awareness of opportunities in their businesses, we worked with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) to develop an online higher and degree apprenticeship vacancy listing. The most recent update was published in National Apprenticeship Week for starts in 2020 and includes over a thousand vacancies from employers in a range of sectors, from aeronautical engineering to town planning. Representatives from the National Apprenticeship Service also attended 30 UCAS exhibitions in 2019, engaging with around 10,000 young people, their parents and careers advisers. This work will continue throughout 2020 alongside our wider communications and marketing activity to raise the profile of apprenticeships, including the second phase of the ‘Fire It Up’ campaign. A number of the apprentices who feature in advertising throughout the second phase are undertaking degree or degree-level apprenticeships.

*No heading*

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what specialist support is provided in schools for pupils with mental health problems.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s nationally representative survey of school and college provision published in 2017 suggested that the most common types of support offered for pupils with identified mental health needs were educational psychological support (61%) and counselling services (61%), with 84% of secondary schools providing their pupils with access to counselling support. Survey results can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-mental-health-in-schools-and-colleges.Since this survey was done, the Department has taken significant steps to improve access to specialist mental health support in schools and colleges. We are introducing new Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to provide dedicated support to schools and colleges and quicker access to an increased range of support and treatments. These teams will employ new staff who are being recruited and trained specifically for the programme. The first 25 trailblazer sites delivering 59 new teams were announced in December 2018. These MHSTs are all expected to complete their training by early 2020 and will be fully operational following this. The aim is to cover between a fifth and a quarter of the country by 2023. The teams are part of extensive wider investment in the NHS which means that by 2023-24, an extra 345,000 children and young people aged 0-25 years in England will receive mental health support.To support more schools to provide counselling the Department has provided advice on how to deliver high quality school-based counselling, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.

Ministry of Justice

Reoffenders

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who were released from prison following a decision by the Independent Parole Board were subsequently convicted and imprisoned for a further offence in the last three years.

Lucy Frazer: This Government is committed to reducing reoffending by ensuring that all offenders have the tools they need to turn their backs on crime. Prisons and probation must provide the opportunity for prisoners to rehabilitate, which will ultimately reduce reoffending and protect the public. The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of offenders released following a Parole Board decision who were subsequently convicted and imprisoned for a further offence. However, a breakdown of the total number of reoffences following release after serving an indeterminate sentence is published. A breakdown of these is included below: Table 1: Total number of reoffences following release from custody after serving an indeterminate sentenceIndeterminate sentenceReoffending cohortApril 2015 – March 2016April 2016 – March 2017April 2017 – March 2018Indeterminate sentence for public protection141191231Mandatory life prisoner101727Other life1273721‘Other life’ category includes discretionary and automatic life sentences

Shoplifting: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences of theft from a shop or stall was for people convicted of that offence and not given a sentence of immediate custody in each of the last three years; and what the sentence was for the most recent offence in each of those cases.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences was for possession of a (a) blade and (b) point for a person convicted of a further possession of each weapon offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent such offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences was for assault for a person convicted of a further assault offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent offence in each case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences for possession of an offensive weapon was for a person convicted of a further possession of an offensive weapon offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent offence in such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences for sexual assault was for a person convicted of a further sexual assault offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent offence in each case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences for theft was for a person convicted of a further theft offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent offence in each case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences relating to the Public Order Act 1986 was for a person convicted of a further offence under that Act in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences for robbery was for a person convicted of a further robbery offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent such offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences for burglary was for a person convicted of a further burglary offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent such offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences for fraud was for a person convicted of a further fraud offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent such offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences relating to drugs was for a person convicted of a further offence relating to drugs in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent such offence in each such case

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences for criminal damage was for a person convicted of a further criminal damage offence in each of the last three years who was not given a sentence of immediate custody; and what the sentence was for the most recent such offence in each such case.

Lucy Frazer: Data on the highest number of previous cautions and convictions for a specified offence for offenders convicted of that specified offence and given a sentence other than immediate custody, and the sentence given for the most recent specified offence, year ending March 2017 to year ending March 2019, can be viewed in the attached table. 



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.31 KB)

Reoffenders: Community Orders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to commence section 151 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to allow courts to use community orders instead of fines for repeat offenders of low-level offences.

Lucy Frazer: There are no current plans to commence Section 151 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which allows courts, in certain circumstances, to use community orders for repeat offenders who might otherwise expect to receive fines. Section 143(2) of that Act requires courts to treat previous convictions as an aggravating factor when sentencing. In cases involving significant persistent offending, the community and custodial thresholds may be crossed even though the offence otherwise warrants a lesser sentence.

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offences were committed by prisoners on temporary release in the last 12 months.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offences were committed by prisoners released from prison on temporary licence to work in the last 12 months; what those offences were; and which of those offences were of each type in the violence against the person category.

Lucy Frazer: In the year April 2018 to March 2019 (the latest year for which the relevant data is available) there were 18 recorded temporary release failures where the reason given was “alleged offending”. These are not necessarily proven offences, prisons are required to record any instance where a prisoner is arrested for an offence allegedly committed whist on ROTL. Of these 18 incidents, only one took place whilst the prisoner was on work-related temporary release. The alleged offence was “shoplifting”, not a violent offence. There were 376,343 temporary releases in 2018 and the evidence shows the vast majority of prisoners given temporary release abide by the conditions attached to the licence, with the compliance rate standing at well over 99%. Non-compliance is, and will continue to be, dealt with robustly.

Pre-sentence Reports

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of pre-sentence reports presented to magistrates’ courts contained a sentence recommendation of (a) immediate custody, (b) suspended custody and (c) a community order in the last year for which information is available.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested has been provided in the table below showing the number and proportion of recommendations in pre-sentence reports prepared for Magistrates courts between October 2018 and September 2019 where the sentence proposed was Community order, Immediate custody or Suspended Sentence.It should be noted that these figures are based on all pre-sentence reports for which a sentence was given and that the total number of proposed sentences also includes instances where a fine was the proposed sentence.   Community OrderImmediate custodySuspended SentenceAll proposed sentencesNumber65,9081,68132069,586Percentage of all proposed sentences95%2%0%

Prisoners' Release: Curfews

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been released from prison on a Home Detention Curfew in each month in each of the last two years; and what offence each person released on that curfew had committed.

Lucy Frazer: The attached table shows the number of people released on Home Detention Curfew (HDC), in 2017 and 2018, the latest years for which data is available, by offence group. HDC is a robust scheme which allows suitable, risk assessed, prisoners to work towards rehabilitation in the community, while remaining subject to strict monitoring and other conditions. If they breach these, they can be returned to custody.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 22.02 KB)

Life Imprisonment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that prisoners released on parole from life sentences are ineligible for parole again in the event that they re-offend.

Lucy Frazer: Where a life sentence prisoner receives a further sentence for offences committed having been released on life licence, they must serve the custodial part of any new sentence that is imposed by the courts. Where the offender is assessed to be a risk to the public, they will also be recalled to custody on their life sentence and will remain in prison for as long as the independent Parole Board considers their detention necessary for the protection of the public. The Board will take into account any further offending that was committed in their determination. Where an offender receives a second murder conviction, Schedule 21 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003 provides for a starting point of a ‘Whole-life Order’. That is the most severe punishment available to the courts and means the offender will never be released on licence. It is also open to the courts to impose a whole-life order in other circumstances if they decide that it is warranted by the seriousness of the offence. The Government has brought forward measures to make sure that serious and dangerous offenders, including terrorists, will serve longer in prison to help keep the public safe. We intend to publish a White Paper on sentencing reform that will include further measures to ensure that the most serious violent and sexual offenders spend the time in prison that matches the severity of their crimes.

Prisoners: Parole

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to limit the right of prisoners to be eligible for parole on multiple occasions.

Lucy Frazer: Once a prisoner has served the custodial part of their sentence ordered by the sentencing court, their case must be referred to the independent Parole Board to determine whether their continued detention is necessary for the protection of the public. If the prisoner is not released by the Board, their case will be reviewed again, normally within two years. If the prisoner is serving an indeterminate sentence, they may be held indefinitely until the Board is satisfied that it would be safe to release them. If they are serving a fixed term sentence the prisoner will be reviewed at regular intervals by the Board during their parole eligibility period. If not released during that period, they will be released when they reach their automatic release date. The assessment of a prisoner’s risk will change over time and so regular parole reviews are necessary to determine whether they may be safely released. These measures ensure detention cannot become arbitrary or disproportionate to the purpose and aims of sentencing. The Government made a commitment in its manifesto to conduct a ‘root and branch’ review of parole and the release arrangements for prisoners to improve accountability and public safety; and to give victims greater access to the process. The nature and scope of the review is yet to be finalised and no decisions have been made on whether any legislative changes will be required. The review will aim to build on the reforms to the parole system introduced in 2019 in the wake of the John Worboys case.

Offences against Children: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women convicted of sexual activity with a child received a prison sentence in each of the last five years; and what the average prison sentence was for (i) men and (ii) women.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on convictions and sentencing in England and Wales. This information, relating to specific offences, can be found using the Outcomes by Offence data tool. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx Filter by offence to include the following offences:21.1 Sexual activity with a child under 13 - indictable only21.2 Sexual activity with a child under 13 - offender aged under 18 - triable either way21.3 Sexual activity with a child under 13 - offender aged 18 or over or age of offender unspecified - triable either way22.1 Sexual activity involving a child under 16 - indictable only22.2 Sexual activity involving a child under 16 - offender aged under 18 - triable either way22.3 Sexual activity involving a child under 16 - offender aged 18 or over - triable either way22A.1 Causing sexual activity without consent - penetration22A.2 Causing sexual activity without consent - no penetration Add the ‘Sex’ filter to the rows field below ‘Values’ The number of males, females and defendants where sex is not known who were a) convicted, b) sentenced, c) sentenced to custody and d) their average custodial sentence length will then be shown in rows a) 32-34, b) 36-38, c) 76-78, and d) 152-154. The proportion of those sentenced who received a custodial sentence can be found by dividing ‘Total Immediate Custody’ by ‘Sentenced’.

Counter-terrorism

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to restructure the counter-terrorism programme.

Lucy Frazer: Following the two recent attacks at Fishmongers’ Hall and HMP Whitemoor, the Government announced a package of funding and legislative changes, including major investment in counter terrorism resources in prisons and probation, which is overseen by the Joint Extremism Unit (JEXU) a joint Home Office and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation (HMPPS) unit.The package of measures include:Tougher sentences for the most serious terrorist offenders, which will mean dangerous terrorist offenders who receive extended determinate sentences serve their entire sentenceDoubling the number of Counter-Terrorism specialist probation staff. These specially trained staff will deliver a set of new, intensive national standards for managing terrorists on licence;These new standards will mean terrorists are subjected to closer monitoring and reporting requirements.An increase in the resources dedicated to training front-line prison and probation staff and;The introduction of polygraph testing.An independent review of our Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).Following the attack on 2 February in Streatham, the government announced emergency legislation to ensure an end to terrorist offenders getting released automatically, having served half of their sentence with no check or review.

Prisoners' Release: Christmas

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serving prisoners were not in prison accommodation over the latest Christmas period for which information is held; what offences were committed by each such offender; and how many such offences were in which category of violent offences against the person.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serving prisoners were not in prison accommodation overnight on the latest New Year's Eve for which information is held; what offences were committed by each such offender; and how many such offences were in which category of violent offences against the person.

Lucy Frazer: The attached tables show the number of individuals who were in the community on 25 December and 31 December 2018, having been released on temporary licence. The data is broken down into offence groups determined by the main offence for which the individual was sentenced, with a more detailed offence breakdown for those with a main offence in the violence against the person group of offences. By providing opportunities to work, learn and build family ties, temporary release from prison helps ensure offenders don't return to crime when they leave prison. All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a full risk assessment before being considered for release on temporary licence (ROTL).



Table for PQ 14647
(Excel SpreadSheet, 21.18 KB)




Table for PQ 14648
(Excel SpreadSheet, 26.27 KB)

Crimes against the Person: Prosecutions

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many third parties have been prosecuted under Section 59 of the Offences Against the Persons Act 1961 in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018, and (e) 2019.

Chris Philp: Data on the number of prosecutions that have occurred in England and Wales for offences under section 59 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 is available in the Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool (select table entitled HO code (principal offence), then select Offence Code filter – 01402). Annual statistics for the year ending 31 December 2019, will be available in May 2020.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance is Department issues to local authorities on building proposals for new homes on flood plains.

Christopher Pincher: The National Planning Policy Framework states that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be directed away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. If new homes are necessary in a flood risk area, and no suitable sites at lower risk are available, the local authority should ensure that the development will be safe and will not increase flood risk elsewhere. Where those tests are not met, development should not be allowed.

Housing: Construction

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure an equitable distribution of investment in new housing between the north and the South East of England.

Christopher Pincher: We are committed to building more of the right homes, in the right places across the country, and ensuring the housing market works for everyone. The Government has so far allocated circa £3 billion from the Housing Infrastructure Fund across every English region, to unlock the development up to 272,862 homes across the country.   Furthermore, the Government has allocated £3.4 billion in Growth Deals to areas in the Northern Powerhouse - supporting locally determined projects to unlock economic growth.

Housing: Construction

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of Government proposal on migration on the required level of new home builds in the next five year.

Christopher Pincher: There is a consensus that housing supply needs to be significantly higher than its historical average, which is why it is this Government’s ambition to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Innovation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) Engagement Day at Cranfield University on 11 February 2020, whether his Department has plans for further DASA engagement events in the (a) the North East and (b) UK.

Jeremy Quin: I am delighted that my predecessor (James Heappey MP) attended the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) engagement day at Cranfield on 11 February, and met Small and Medium Enterprises and academics attending the event. This was the first event of this type and needs to be evaluated before a decision is made on staging further events. In the meantime, DASA has a team of regional Innovation Partners who regularly attend events across the UK, including in the North East of England.The Innovation Partners will continue to look for the right opportunities to engage with suppliers who could support innovation for the defence and security of the UK.

Porton Down: Animal Experiments

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2020 to Question 9721, on Porton Down: Animal Experiments, on which species of animal were scientific procedures conducted in each year from 2009 to 2018; and how many scientific procedures were conducted on each species.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested is shown in the table below. Number of scientific procedures, by species, for the years 2009 to 2018YearDogDomestic fowlGuinea PigHamsterMacaque (primate)Marmoset (primate)MousePigRabbitRatTotal2009001900221277,982963058,45220100030830471978,553140501139,43820110065200688,8018876379,722201236281001148,20575161308,830201300447001935,6411084686,46120140032300673,41110002234,12420150011600572,8945801243,249201600236001182,1672701992,74720170012600873,4005202403,9052018002400561,738670561,941

*No heading*

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding has been allocated to helping members of the armed forces transition back to civilian life in each of the last three years.

Johnny Mercer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 February 2020 to Question 13448 to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas).



13448 - MOD Veterans Employment
(Word Document, 31.73 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2020 to Question 9726 on Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations, for what reasons information on the number of audited health assessment reports by audit grade carried out by Capita was not provided in that answer.

Justin Tomlinson: Please find below the number of Audited files for Capita and Independent Assessment Service by audit grade for 2018 and 2019 in raw number format. The audits are a random selection and are undertaken in order for the department to measure contractual quality service levels. Note the numbers are unpublished and rounded to the nearest 10.  RoundedIAS (L1&3)Jan-18Feb-18Mar-18Apr-18May-18Jun-18Jul-18Aug-18Sep-18Oct-18Nov-18Dec-18A610630680620610630650630630640600590AF190160160150180170160170150140160220AA130130100150130130120140160170190150U605040707060403040303020Total980980980980990980980970970980980980Capita (Lot 2)Jan-18Feb-18Mar-18Apr-18May-18Jun-18Jul-18Aug-18Sep-18Oct-18Nov-18Dec-18A290300310310310320330300310320290310AF8080707060707010010080100100AA908080808070707070709060U302020303020101010101010Total490480480480480490490480480490490480 IAS (L1&3)Jan-19Feb-19Mar-19Apr-19May-19Jun-19Jul-19Aug-19Sep-19Oct-19Nov-19Dec-19A640630630640670620610610560640650670AF180180150160150170150170170150140140AA130140160160130140190150200150150140U303040203050405050504030Total980980980980980980980980980980980980Capita (Lot 2)Jan-19Feb-19Mar-19Apr-19May-19Jun-19Jul-19Aug-19Sep-19Oct-19Nov-19Dec-19A320300320330320300300310320330340330AF708080608080809070707050AA809070807080908080706090U202010202030202030202020Total480480490490490490490490490490490490

Universal Credit: Vulnerable Adults

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional financial support his Department provides to vulnerable people that claim universal credit.

Will Quince: Millions of people who move onto Universal Credit from legacy benefits are better off, including around a million disabled households who will gain on average around £100 per month.The Department takes seriously the need to support vulnerable claimants, and wants the application process for Universal Credit to be as quick and easy as possible, ensuring that claimants receive money at the earliest opportunity.Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland have supported over 180,000 individuals through the ‘Help to Claim’ provision since April 2019, offering tailored and practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. ‘Help to Claim’ is available online, on the phone and face-to-face in multiple locations including Jobcentres and Citizen’s Advice Bureaux.We have listened to feedback on how we can improve Universal Credit to support our claimants and acted quickly, making improvements such as extending advances, removing waiting days, and introducing housing benefit run on. These changes are giving support to those who need it most, whilst at the same time helping people get into work faster.

Universal Credit

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the quarterly payment schedule of student finance on universal credit calculations for claimants who are responsible for one or more children; and whether she plans to halt the reduction of payments for those claimants whilst the fluctuations in income are adequately assessed.

Will Quince: Most full-time students in education do not qualify for Universal Credit. Students are able to access funding to support their education courses through various loans and grants, which are the responsibility of the Department for Education. It is important that Universal Credit does not duplicate this support, which is designed for their needs unlike the social security system. Exceptions are made only where students have additional needs that are not met through the student support system. The full year’s award of student’s maintenance loan/grant is averaged out over the academic year. This average usually covers 10 monthly Assessment Periods as no student income is taken into account during the summer break. The amount taken into account is subject to a £110 disregard in each of these Assessment Periods, which is equivalent to that provided under Legacy Benefits, which includes an amount to cover the cost of books, travel and equipment.

Local Housing Allowance

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of uprating local housing allowance in line with inflation in areas where private rents have risen above CPI.

Will Quince: From April 2020 Local Housing Allowance rates will be uprated by inflation – an increase of 1.7% in line with wider benefit uprating. This means around 900,000 people across the UK could see their Housing support payments rise from April.

Universal Credit

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants who transferred from (a) severe disability premium and (b) enhanced disability premium payments to universal credit are waiting for their payments to be (i) reinstated and (ii) backdated.

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timescale is for all universal credit claimants who previously received (a) severe disability premium and (b) enhanced disability premium to (i) have their payments reinstated and (ii) receive backdated payments.

Justin Tomlinson: Disabled people are some of the biggest beneficiaries of Universal Credit, with around 1 million disabled households having on average around £100 a month more on Universal Credit than they would have had on the legacy benefits. When designing Universal Credit, a choice was made not to replicate every aspect of the disability provision in the previous system, including the Enhanced Disability Premium. The Severe Disability Premium (SDP) gateway has been in place for over a year to prevent those claimants entitled to the SDP as part of their legacy benefit from claiming Universal Credit. We have successfully identified eligible former SDP claimants who have already moved to Universal Credit due to a change in circumstances, providing them with monthly payments and a lump sum in arrears, where appropriate. As of 17 January 2020, 15,397 claims have been paid an SDP transitional payment. The median value of the lump sum payments is £2,280. To date, over £51.5m has been disbursed to support former SDP claimants, including the recurring payments that have now commenced. Positive progress has been made and caseload growth has now slowed, however, in the event a new case is discovered payments will be in place quickly. It is not possible to estimate when we will have paid everyone who is entitled as some people become entitled to these payments retrospectively, and therefore the caseload is not a fixed number.

Universal Credit: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on low-income families of the roll-out of universal credit in (a) Newport West constituency and (b) Wales.

Will Quince: Universal Credit will provide an extra £2.1bn a year once full rolled out, compared to the legacy benefits it replaces. Claimants receive better support to prepare for work, move into work, or to increase earnings. The Universal Credit Work Allowance was increased by £1,000 in April 2019 and means that 2.4m households will keep an extra £630 of income each year.

Housing Benefit: Older People

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support older renters and (b) increase the uptake of pension age housing benefit.

Will Quince: The rates of pensioner benefits, including Housing Benefit (HB), tend to be higher than some working-age income-related benefits, as pensioners as a group are likely to be reliant on benefits for a longer period and less able to change their circumstances or improve their income through work.Local Authorities are responsible for administering HB and the take up of HB by pensioners is shown to be higher than the take up of Pension Credit.The Department publishes an annual report detailing latest available statistics regarding the estimated take-up of HB and other income-related benefits.The latest version can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-2016-to-2017The next report containing 2017/18 data will be published in due course.

Universal Credit

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving in-work universal credit claimants the option to move their assessment period to reflect more closely the dates on which they receive their earnings.

Will Quince: The Department has been working closely with HMRC since Universal Credit went live in 2013 to support and inform employers who report earnings to emphasise the importance of timely reporting via RTI system. Employers should already record on HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Real Time Information (RTI) system the date a salary is scheduled to be paid, rather than the date it is paid, where it is earlier due to a weekend, bank holiday or at Christmas. HMRC have updated their guidance to reiterate to employers the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles; the Financial Secretary to the Treasury is also working closely with HMRC and employers to do this.Universal Credit takes earnings into account in a way that is fair and transparent. The amount paid reflects, as closely as possible, the actual circumstances of a household during each monthly assessment period. This allows Universal Credit awards to be adjusted on a monthly basis, ensuring that if claimant’s incomes falls, they do not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit award. Currently there are no plans to change assessment periods.Claimants can discuss queries about how fluctuating income effects Universal Credit with their case managers and work coaches, who can also signpost to services appropriate to individual circumstances.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring all personal independence payment assessments to be recorded.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer the Rt.Hon Member to the answer I gave on 10 February 2020 to Question UIN 12293.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Pet Travel Scheme

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were imported through the Pet Travel Scheme in 2019; and from which countries those dogs were so imported.

Victoria Prentis: The number of dogs that were imported to Great Britain via the Pet Travel Scheme (PTS) in 2019 was 307,263. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is unable to provide a breakdown of the number of dogs travelling under the scheme by country of origin as it does not hold that information. The data regarding the PTS is taken from the APHA system for recording pets throughput based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals. The information that APHA has provided is a true reflection of the information that is held. APHA cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data, as it can only rely on the information that has been entered into the pets returns by a third party.

Microplastics: Seas and Oceans

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent micro plastics from entering the sea.

Rebecca Pow: Microplastics, pieces of plastic smaller than 5mm, can fragment from larger items or be intentionally produced. Our aim is to prevent plastic pollution at its source and develop a circular economy approach to plastic. In 2018, we launched one of the world’s toughest bans on the sale and manufacture of microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, helping to prevent billions of tiny plastic pieces from entering the ocean every year. Pre-production plastic pellets are a major source of microplastics. Current estimates put the number of pellets lost during the production of plastic in the UK between 5 billion and 53 billion. We have been engaging with industry to encourage businesses to do more, including signing up to Operation Clean Sweep, to prevent plastic pellet loss. To address evidence gaps from other sources of microplastics we have commissioned: A study from the University of Plymouth to investigate the sources and pathways of microplastics from tyres and textiles into the marine environment.A Rapid Evidence Assessment by Defra on “Analysis, Prevalence and Impact of Microplastics in Freshwater and Estuarine Environment”.These reports will be published this year and the evidence will help us continue to develop policies to tackle the problem.

Chemicals

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on the development of a national chemicals strategy.

Rebecca Pow: Work on the Chemicals Strategy (CS) started in the summer of 2019. A broad programme of stakeholder engagement is underway to help shape the vision and scope of the CS. To date, we have engaged with interested stakeholders from industry representatives to academia to voluntary organisations. We will publish a Call for Evidence in the spring to seek views on the safe and effective management of chemicals. This will be published on Defra’s website. It will help inform the development of a draft CS for consultation.

Chemicals

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his international counterparts on classifying per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances as a group of chemicals in the Stockholm Convention.

Rebecca Pow: There is a growing global awareness of the adverse effects on human health and the environment of polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS); the widespread occurrence of it in products and the environment make it a complex challenge. The UK is a signatory to the Stockholm Convention which bans and/or restricts the production, use and emissions of substances listed as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). We will continue to engage with the Stockholm process on the management PFAS as a group of chemicals. The UK participated in recent discussions on PFAS at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), where we offered our scientific expertise to support work on new PFAS assessments and life cycle approaches. We will continue to work with partners around the world to develop our approach domestically and internationally.

Chemicals: Regulation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he bring forward legislative proposals to tighten the regulations on the (a) control and (b) use of highly persistent chemicals.

Rebecca Pow: The production, use, and disposal of Persistent Organic Pollutant (POPs) chemicals is managed in order to protect human health and the environment. Substances that fulfil the criteria for a POP are banned or restricted under the international Stockholm Convention and we regulate to enforce those restrictions. The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan has specific targets to reduce emissions of POPs to the environment and we produce a triannual National Implementation Plan. It sets out our ambitions for the next three years and reports on previous actions and targets. We will also consider whether further action is needed to reduce the impact of these chemicals in the forthcoming Chemicals Strategy.

Chemicals: Seas and Oceans

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of monitoring levels of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances in the sea as part of the Marine Strategy.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science will carry out field studies in 2020 to estimate levels of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances in sediments in selected English estuaries and coastal waters. The results will be used to inform assessments of the risks posed by these chemicals to humans and sea life as part of the UK Marine Strategy.

Chemicals: Regulation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning the use of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances in consumer products.

Rebecca Pow: Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) constitute a group of thousands of chemicals that are widely used in consumer and industrial products. There are existing restrictions on the use of certain PFAS under the Stockholm Convention, to which the UK is a signatory, and under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. My department is working with regulators to improve the understanding of the emissions and risks of PFAS in the UK and how we manage these chemicals will be considered in our forthcoming Chemicals Strategy.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals for the licensing of equine (a) sanctuaries, (b) rescue centres and (c) re-homing centres.

Victoria Prentis: Animal sanctuaries and rescue and rehoming centres carry out important work to ensure that unwanted and abandoned animals are offered the opportunity of finding a permanent home. This includes those organisations caring for equines. Concerns have been raised by the sector about variations in welfare standards across the sector, and that some individuals prioritise commercial gain over the welfare needs of animals. In England, Defra has been working closely with organisations such as World Horse Welfare and the National Equine Welfare Council and its members, to better understand the benefits and impacts, particularly on smaller rescue centres, if licensing or other regulation was introduced on the sector. We continue to engage with the sector on these questions. Any proposal to bring forward such regulation will be subject to a full public consultation.

Livestock: Transport

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to issue the public consultation on welfare in transport and minimum journey times for animals for slaughter.

Victoria Prentis: We have a manifesto commitment to end excessively long journeys for live animals going for slaughter and fattening, which is an opportunity we have gained through leaving the EU. We intend to issue a consultation on how we deliver on that commitment shortly.

Plastic Bags: Fees and Charges

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase the (a) accountability and (b) transparency of the allocation by retailers of revenue raised for environmental causes from the five pence plastic bag charge.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the reliability of retailers to allocate revenue raised from the five pence plastic bag charge towards environmental projects.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to increase regulatory oversight of the allocation by retailers of revenues raised from the five pence plastic bag charge.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of oversight arrangements of the spending by retailers of revenue raised from the five pence plastic bag charge.

Rebecca Pow: The introduction of the 5p charge on single use carrier bags has reduced sales by 90% by the main supermarket retailers. The regulations require retailers with more than 250 staff to charge a minimum of 5p and report data on their annual sales of single use carrier bags, including what they did with the proceeds from the charge. The Department publishes a summary of the data reported in line with the regulations by 31st July each reporting year on the GOV.UK site. As this is not a tax, the Government does not determine where the proceeds of the charge are redistributed. There is no legal requirement for businesses to donate the proceeds from the charge to charities. Businesses are, however, encouraged to donate the proceeds of the charge (after deducting VAT and reasonable costs) to good causes such as charities or community groups in accordance with guidance published on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/carrier-bag-charges-retailers-responsibilities#dealing-with-the-proceeds). Around 55% of retailers, who accounted for 57% of all bags reported for 2018 to 2019, voluntarily provided information on donations they had made to good causes. Over the last three reporting years the charge has raised nearly £140 million.

Environment Protection

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she is having with Cabinet colleagues on ensuring that environmental organisations are given priority for the allocation of funding raised from environmental charges and levies.

Rebecca Pow: Across the Defra group, for many environmental services provided, HM Treasury requires that we seek to charge for those services through full cost recovery, levies or in some cases taxes. For these services, the revenue received from these charges can only support the services specified. The retention of revenue from levies or taxes is usually in agreement with HM Treasury.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of payments to farmers will be under the (a) old and (b) new system in each of the seven years of the introduction of the new payments system for farmers.

Victoria Prentis: The Government plans to phase out Direct Payments to farmers in England over a seven year agricultural transition period. For the first year of the transition, 2021, we will reduce Direct Payments by up to an already announced set of percentages, which could free up to around £150 million to reinvest into the delivery of public goods and providing support for farmers during the transition. We will set the reduction percentages for the later years of the transition taking account of our detailed plans for future schemes and wider discussions about Government spending. The Government’s election manifesto guaranteed the current annual budget in every year of the new Parliament, giving significant certainty on funding for the coming years. In England this will enable the Government to provide financial support for the purposes set out in the Agriculture Bill.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the proposal in Greater Manchester's Clean Air Plan that non-compliant vehicles are subject to a daily penalty payment, whether funding will be allocated by the Government to support (a) people and (a) businesses to purchase compliant vehicles.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Plan proposals, what plans the Government has for financial support for (a) local businesses and (b) sole traders to upgrade to cleaner vehicles.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is committed to improving air quality in the UK and has provided £572 million to support the development and implementation of required measures by local authorities. This includes a Clean Air Fund that is aimed at mitigating the impact of local plans on individuals and businesses including sole traders. We are mindful of the challenges of delivering a clean air plan across Greater Manchester and the need to support individuals and businesses that may be affected by the resulting charging Clean Air Zone (CAZ). We have provided at this stage a first tranche of £36 million towards implementing the CAZ and intend to provide further funding, both for implementation and for mitigating the impacts of the CAZ, from the Clean Air Fund, once we have a clearer picture of the scale of need based on our assessment of additional evidence being provided by Greater Manchester.

Clean Air Zones

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Chancellor of the Exchequer on allocating funding in the forthcoming Budget to support the implementation of clean air zones.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is committed to improving air quality. That is why £572 million is already available to support local authorities implement a range of clean air measures to deliver compliance with NO2 levels, including Clean Air Zones. I am considering what future support is needed to deliver Government priorities via a range of clean air measures. I will discuss Defra’s Budget proposals with the Chancellor in due course.

Cats: Tagging

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to publish the outcome of the call for evidence on cat microchipping which closed on 4 January 2020.

Victoria Prentis: In line with guidance on Government consultations we plan to publish the summary of responses to the call for evidence within three months of the consultation closing.

Animals: Imports

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many animals of each species have been imported to the UK as rescue animals in each of the last 10 years.

Victoria Prentis: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) does not capture whether imported animals are rescue animals and so is unable to provide this data. Furthermore, APHA’s data retention period for import data is 3 years and so we can only provide data for the last 3 years on matters relating to imports.

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to section 24 (3) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, when the Government laid before Parliament a copy of the (a) 6th Quinquennial Review advice received from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and (b) Government’s formal response to that review and any accompanying statements; where those documents can be located online; and if she will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: The Government has not laid these documents before Parliament. In tandem with its advice to the governments of all GB administrations on species listing following the 6th Quinquennial review of Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) noted concerns from stakeholders that the selection criteria needed to be reviewed. The Government concluded that we should not consult upon species or amend legislation, based on criteria which were likely to be modified. Defra will arrange to lay these documents before Parliament as soon as possible.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the farming of puppies.

Victoria Prentis: In October 2018, The Animal Welfare (licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 came into force which updated and improved the laws on the breeding and selling of dogs in England. The new regulations require dog breeders and sellers to adhere to strict statutory minimum welfare standards linked to the welfare needs set out in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This includes prohibiting the sale of puppies below the age of 8 weeks; preventing licensed breeders from selling dogs not bred by them and preventing breeders from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health that this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies. In addition, licensed breeders must show puppies to purchasers in the presence of the mother and licensed pet sellers must complete the sale of a dog in the presence of the purchaser on the licensed premises. This prevents online sales of puppies. Any licensed breeder advertising puppies for sale must include their licence number in the advert to improve traceability. In addition, from 6 April 2020, the regulations will prohibit the commercial third party sale of puppies and kittens to directly tackle low welfare, high volume breeding, known as puppy farms. In advance of this ban coming into force, the Government will launch a public awareness campaign on the responsible sourcing of puppies and kittens.

Wales Office

Infrastructure: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the resilience of infrastructure in (a) Newport West constituency and (b) Wales.

Simon Hart: I have discussed a range of issues with the Welsh Government including how we can work together on infrastructure in Wales. I reaffirmed the Government’s commitment and desire to see the M4 relief road go ahead which I know would have a major impact in the Newport West constituency.

Northern Ireland Office

Brexit: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have held with representatives of Border Communities against Brexit.

Brandon Lewis: Neither my officials nor I have met representatives of Border Communities Against Brexit.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much funding will be allocated to the Troubles-related incident Victims Payment Scheme.

Brandon Lewis: In 2014, the NI parties agreed further work would be undertaken to seek an acceptable way forward on the proposal for a pension for severely injured victims in Northern Ireland. The Executive Formation Act required the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to lay regulations for a Victims Payment Scheme, which he did on Friday 31 January. The Northern Ireland Civil Service is continuing to work to explore the full costs of the scheme.

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost has been to the public purse of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, in each of the last three years.

Mr Robin Walker: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland does not have a role in the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland’s budget. The Equality Commission is sponsored by the Executive Office, which approves its budget. The Commission’s published annual reports and accounts can be accessed via their website, at https://www.equalityni.org/Home.

Northern Ireland Office: Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in his Department in each of the last three years.

Mr Robin Walker: During the last three years there has been no formal work experience undertaken in the Northern Ireland Office by anyone over 16 years old.Informal work experience for people below the age of 16 was undertaken on seven occasions over the last three years.

Treasury

Dementia: Social Services

Paul Bristow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the provision of increased funding for dementia care in Budget 2020.

Steve Barclay: At the 2019 Spending Review, the Government provided an additional £1bn funding for social care in 2020-21. In addition the Government has committed to urgently seek a cross-party consensus to bring forward proposals and legislation for long-term reform of adult social care. In line with successive administrations, the details of Ministerial discussions are not normally discussed.

Employment: Taxation

David Duguid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of proposed changes to IR35 rules from April 2020 on trends in the level of employment in the oil and gas sector in Scotland.

Jesse Norman: The off-payroll working rules (commonly known as IR35) are designed to ensure that an individual who works like an employee, but through their own limited company, pays broadly the same Income Tax and National Insurance contributions as other employees. The rules do not apply to the self-employed or stop anyone working through their own company. The Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) published in July 2019 sets out HMRC’s assessment that the reform to the off-payroll working rules is expected to affect 170,000 individuals; this is a UK-wide figure. The TIIN can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020.

Revenue and Customs: Offshore Funds

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money HMRC paid into offshore bank accounts in financial year 2018-19.

Jesse Norman: This information is not held centrally within government and would involve disproportionate costs to collect and collate.

Revenue and Customs: Offshore Funds

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) members of HMRC's departmental Board and (b) senior executives in HMRC are required to disclose offshore bank accounts and holdings.

Jesse Norman: HMRC’s departmental Board and senior executives are not required to disclose offshore bank accounts and holdings. All Civil Servants must uphold the standards of conduct as set out in the Ministerial Code and Civil Service Code respectively, as well as the seven principles of public life. As regards the latter, all Civil Servants regardless of grade are contractually bound by the terms and conditions of the Civil Service Code of conduct and associated Civil Service Terms and conditions and Conduct at Work policies. All employees must take all possible steps to protect themselves and HMRC from any allegation or perception of impropriety and are legally bound to deal with their own tax affairs and must comply with personal tax obligations and make returns or declarations directly in a personal capacity.HMRC Non-Executive Director (NED) Board members are also contractually bound to declare to the Lead Non Executive and Chief Executive any personal or business interest they may have or acquire during the term of their appointment which may, or may be perceived (by a reasonable member of the public) to influence their judgement in performing their role as Non-Executive Director. These interests include (without limitation) personal direct and indirect pecuniary interests, and they are required to make full disclosure throughout the term of their appointment.

Revenue and Customs: Offshore Funds

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC’s (a) anti-fraud and (b) anti-money laundering procedures monitor (i) payments made by HMRC to offshore accounts and (ii) the use of offshore accounts by HMRC's (A) suppliers and (B) senior staff.

Jesse Norman: HMRC have extensive anti-fraud and anti-money laundering procedures in making payments, including verifying the identity of suppliers and staff, and the validity of payment details. HMRC do not, however, make any differentiation between payments made to onshore and to offshore accounts. All suppliers and public office holders are expected to comply with the law as it applies to offshore banking activity.

National Insurance

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many children born in the UK have not been issued with a National Insurance number since 2013.

Jesse Norman: The requested information is not available. In order for a child to be issued a National Insurance Number (NINO) automatically, the child must be part of a live Child Benefit claim when they are 15 years, 9 months old. If a child has been part of a claim, but is not part of a claim when they are 15 years, 9 months old, HMRC can be contacted to request a NINO. If a child has never been part of a Child Benefit claim (or a claim for a childcare service administered by HMRC) HMRC will have no record of them. An application can be made to DWP to obtain a NINO.

Ports: Infrastructure

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to build infrastructure at ports for undertaking customs checks on (a) vehicles and (b) goods coming from the EU from 1 January 2021.

Jesse Norman: HMRC will continue to engage with port authorities at key border locations to understand the constraints on different sites, and to discuss how to ensure that ports are operationally ready for the end of the transition period. HMRC will also continue to keep their plans for additional infrastructure under review, depending on what is needed as part of the future trading relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Huawei: 5G

Bob Seely: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the human rights implications of the decision to use of Huawei systems in the UK's 5G network.

Matt Warman: The UK has been vocal in drawing attention to the systematic human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in China. Ministers and senior officials regularly raise our concerns both directly with the Chinese and multilaterally. On 29 October, at the UN Third Committee, the UK read out a joint statement, on behalf of 22 other countries, drawing attention to the human rights violations in Xinjiang and calling on China to uphold its obligations to respect human rights. The UK also co-hosted an event on Xinjiang during the UN General Assembly in September. The Government has also set out its expectations of businesses in the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights and continues to encourage all British businesses to undertake appropriate levels of due diligence before deciding to do business or invest in foreign companies. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights advises UK companies to respect human rights wherever they operate including adopting appropriate due diligence policies to identify, prevent and mitigate human rights risks, and commit to monitoring and evaluating implementation

Telecommunications: Foreign Companies

John Nicolson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Department makes an assessment of the working practices of overseas companies from which the Government procures imported telecommunications infrastructure and technology.

Matt Warman: The Government conducted a comprehensive, evidence-based review of the Telecoms Supply Chain to ensure the security and resilience of 5G in the UK. The Review was published in July 2019 and the final conclusions of the Review in relation to high risk vendors were announced in January 2020. The Review was informed by expert technical advice from the NCSC, economic analysis and discussions with industry and UK’s international partners.The conclusions from the Review have outlined the Government’s three priorities for the future of telecommunications: stronger cyber security practices; greater resilience in telecoms network; and diversity in the market.The Government has also set out its expectations of businesses in the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights and continues to encourage all British businesses to undertake appropriate levels of due diligence before deciding to do business or invest in foreign companies. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights advises UK companies to respect human rights wherever they operate including adopting appropriate due diligence policies to identify, prevent and mitigate human rights risks, and commit to monitoring and evaluating implementation.

Huawei

Bob Seely: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, Official Report, 2 May 2019, column 364, what recent assessment he has made whether Huawei is a private company.

Matt Warman: The government’s decision to categorise Huawei as a high risk vendor takes into consideration the potential links between Chinese companies and the Chinese State. And the limits we have imposed on the presence of all High Risk Vendors constitute some of the toughest security measures in the telecoms sector in the world.We have unique insight through the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC), which was established in 2010. As a result of our work, we know more about Huawei, and the risks it poses, than any other country in the world. Huawei’s operations in the UK are subject to the strongest oversight possible. The company’s presence in the UK has been subject to detailed, formal oversight through the HCSEC, and the HCSEC Oversight Board which has reported annually since 2014.

Broadband

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to roll out gigabit broadband (a) in Hampshire and (b) throughout the UK.

Matt Warman: The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit capable connectivity as soon as possible. Much progress has already been made, with full fibre coverage doubling in the past year to reach 10% of UK premises. This Government will continue to take action to remove barriers to network rollout and to ensure that those in the hardest to reach areas are not left behind. We have introduced legislation to make it easier for operators to deploy broadband in blocks of flats, will be legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new builds and will provide £5 billion of funding to support rollout in hard to reach areas. Specifically in Hampshire, the government has invested heavily in this county, with over £15million of government funding allocated. Full fibre coverage stands at 9%, marginally below the UK figure of c.10%. Virgin Media switched on full gigabit capability to Southampton in September 2019, whilst CityFibre, Toob and Trooli have all announced plans to invest in full fibre networks. Toob is aiming to cover 100,000 premises in Southampton with full fibre by the end of 2021, while Trooli has been undertaking work in the villages of Ropley and Bramdean. The Government is also supporting deployment in Hampshire with projects in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight through the Local Full Fibre Networks programme.

Greyhound Racing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he is taking steps to promote the sport of greyhound racing; and if he will make a statement.

Matt Warman: In January 2019, the Government announced that it had secured a new funding commitment from five of the largest online bookmakers worth an estimated £3 million annually to ensure the welfare of greyhounds is protected and improved. This is in addition to the existing voluntary payments made to the British Greyhound Racing Fund from most betting operators that benefit from greyhound racing, which sit alongside commercial deals between the betting and racing industries. We will continue to encourage any remaining bookmakers that have not signed up to the voluntary arrangements to follow suit and support greyhound racing.